Owen Sound Attack 2024-25 Season, Part I

[Stellar29]

The Attack appear to be fully healthy for about the first time this season heading into the weekend set with Erie, assuming Delisle's injury is minor. Going to be some interesting lineup decisions that need to be made.

The most interesting might be on D. You're now going to have four right shot D. Greenberg has been very good since he joined and been doing a good job with Petrovski on the top pair. Leonard is a steady eddie minute muncher and not coming out. Bedkowski is certainly going to jump back into a prominent role I'm sure. All of a sudden Rogers is the 4th guy on the right side. The left side has seemingly stabilized of late with Petrovski, Smith and Arnett. Do you go with 7D? Hard to imagine they would sit Rogers but to me he's the fourth guy out of the four right shot D. They have been pretty consistent on right left balance in their pairings when they have had the healthy bodies to do so. Do you disrupt the left side and roll two righties on a pair? That will be interesting to watch.

With McDonald coming back, the Attack will now be up to 14 forwards. If they do take the easy road on D and dress 7, that only leaves 11 forwards to dress. Again, going to be some tough decisions. Seemingly both imports have fallen out of the mix of late and probably a good indicator as to where they stand for next year. Kindree probably not going to see ice time the rest of the way. Does Mikus come back out? He's played a regular role for awhile now and seemingly started to find his footing.

On the Bear Tracker Pod, Scott Wray suggested we may see Wray - Crawford - Nansi form a line. He's looking to form what he called a "playoff line" that plays with size and speed and can carry play deep in the offensive zone. I like the idea of that line and it would be interesting to get a look. I wasn't really a fan of Cormier on line 1 with Mbuyi and Hookey. Cormier is more of a shoot first player and I don't think makes sense with Mbuyi and Hookey who had generated good chemistry with Delisle who is much better at sharing and moving the puck around. There were a couple of instances against Kitchener where Cormier carried the puck into his teammate drawing in the defense and then having nowhere to move the puck as he had eliminated his passing options leading to turnovers. The top line has been a bit quiet of late by their standards so it would be good to get them going again. If Delisle can't go this weekend, maybe McDonald slots in on line 1? His speed could open up some space for Mbuyi and Hookey.

On another note, Wray did also mention that they expect to get Dec once the St Andrews schedule ends this month.

 

[PensFan101]

The Attack appear to be fully healthy for about the first time this season heading into the weekend set with Erie, assuming Delisle's injury is minor. Going to be some interesting lineup decisions that need to be made.

The most interesting might be on D. You're now going to have four right shot D. Greenberg has been very good since he joined and been doing a good job with Petrovski on the top pair. Leonard is a steady eddie minute muncher and not coming out. Bedkowski is certainly going to jump back into a prominent role I'm sure. All of a sudden Rogers is the 4th guy on the right side. The left side has seemingly stabilized of late with Petrovski, Smith and Arnett. Do you go with 7D? Hard to imagine they would sit Rogers but to me he's the fourth guy out of the four right shot D. They have been pretty consistent on right left balance in their pairings when they have had the healthy bodies to do so. Do you disrupt the left side and roll two righties on a pair? That will be interesting to watch.

With McDonald coming back, the Attack will now be up to 14 forwards. If they do take the easy road on D and dress 7, that only leaves 11 forwards to dress. Again, going to be some tough decisions. Seemingly both imports have fallen out of the mix of late and probably a good indicator as to where they stand for next year. Kindree probably not going to see ice time the rest of the way. Does Mikus come back out? He's played a regular role for awhile now and seemingly started to find his footing.

On the Bear Tracker Pod, Scott Wray suggested we may see Wray - Crawford - Nansi form a line. He's looking to form what he called a "playoff line" that plays with size and speed and can carry play deep in the offensive zone. I like the idea of that line and it would be interesting to get a look. I wasn't really a fan of Cormier on line 1 with Mbuyi and Hookey. Cormier is more of a shoot first player and I don't think makes sense with Mbuyi and Hookey who had generated good chemistry with Delisle who is much better at sharing and moving the puck around. There were a couple of instances against Kitchener where Cormier carried the puck into his teammate drawing in the defense and then having nowhere to move the puck as he had eliminated his passing options leading to turnovers. The top line has been a bit quiet of late by their standards so it would be good to get them going again. If Delisle can't go this weekend, maybe McDonald slots in on line 1? His speed could open up some space for Mbuyi and Hookey.

On another note, Wray did also mention that they expect to get Dec once the St Andrews schedule ends this month.

I appreciated some of Wray's comments in his interview on the podcast, particularly his observation that Hookey hasn't been as hot since McDonald got hurt - that speed really was helping in terms of drawing defensive focus from the other team.

Also sounds like Varosyan's been sick rather than on the outside looking in, but he's also not a factor for this weekend in Erie.

As for the Defence, if everyone's healthy, I think they'd be best to rotate Smith/Arnett/Bleicher and maybe Rogers if it comes to it. Given the blue line has a lot defensive minded D, I think Smith's contributions are most easily replaced at the moment. I don't think Arnett really deserves to come out but he's 16 and scratching a veteran on our suddenly very old defence probably comes with unwanted baggage (I'm not that hot on Leonard other than he's a plus skater and would rather a player who can return plays over him, but that's unlikely).

For Friday in Erie maybe they move Rogers to his off-side and go with something like:

Petrovski-Bedkowski
Arnett-Greenberg
Rogers-Leonard

Smith takes Arnett's spot Saturday and then work Bleicher back into the lineup Wednesday against Flint.

 

[OSAttackFan88]

Seems wild that both imports won’t be back next year after all the hype at the start of the year. Maybe bleicher is a forward after all scoring on his first shift on Saturday lol. Hopefully they can find a way to win one game in Erie.

 

[Stellar29]

I appreciated some of Wray's comments in his interview on the podcast, particularly his observation that Hookey hasn't been as hot since McDonald got hurt - that speed really was helping in terms of drawing defensive focus from the other team.

Also sounds like Varosyan's been sick rather than on the outside looking in, but he's also not a factor for this weekend in Erie.

As for the Defence, if everyone's healthy, I think they'd be best to rotate Smith/Arnett/Bleicher and maybe Rogers if it comes to it. Given the blue line has a lot defensive minded D, I think Smith's contributions are most easily replaced at the moment. I don't think Arnett really deserves to come out but he's 16 and scratching a veteran on our suddenly very old defence probably comes with unwanted baggage (I'm not that hot on Leonard other than he's a plus skater and would rather a player who can return plays over him, but that's unlikely).

For Friday in Erie maybe they move Rogers to his off-side and go with something like:

Petrovski-Bedkowski
Arnett-Greenberg
Rogers-Leonard

Smith takes Arnett's spot Saturday and then work Bleicher back into the lineup Wednesday against Flint.

I'd be shocked if Bleicher got another look at this point. He was rotating in as the 7th D of late and playing very few minutes. He's now going to be the 8th D with only 8 games left for a team that is chasing a playoff spot. I think the Attack dress the best line up that gives them the best to chance to win each night from here on out. That means some kids aren't going to play.

The D picture is even tougher next year with Roy and very likely Kwajah joining the fold before even considering the OHL draft and import draft. It would seem likely there will be some offseason maneuvering to make it all work.

 

[PensFan101]

I'd be shocked if Bleicher got another look at this point. He was rotating in as the 7th D of late and playing very few minutes. He's now going to be the 8th D with only 8 games left for a team that is chasing a playoff spot. I think the Attack dress the best line up that gives them the best to chance to win each night from here on out. That means some kids aren't going to play.

The D picture is even tougher next year with Roy and very likely Kwajah joining the fold before even considering the OHL draft and import draft. It would seem likely there will be some offseason maneuvering to make it all work.

Sorry didn't mean to imply the rotation was equal - I would be surprised if the team outright scratches Bleicher for the last 8 games but it's beyond obvious he's not in their long term plans. He might get a game or two and played sparingly in them.

There'll definitely be a lot of discussion about the D this off-season and into training camp, because it's both a crowded group and one that hasn't been that strong this season, it's a clear area for improvement. I think we have to be cautious about the impact Kwajah and Roy are going to have, neither of them have lit it up at a level below, and Kwajah if he's more offensively inclined, may require some patience.

With the new NCAA rules plus the number of OHL level bodies we have on the team, it's going to be an offseason and training camp in September for the ages.

Seems wild that both imports won’t be back next year after all the hype at the start of the year. Maybe bleicher is a forward after all scoring on his first shift on Saturday lol. Hopefully they can find a way to win one game in Erie.

Both kids were (and are) really raw. It's extra tough for Bleicher being a small, offensively inclined D coming over to North America at 17. Very few 17 year old D get proper offensive 5 on 5 and PP minutes at this level unless they're strong NHL draft prospects, and even then many don't. Especially as the team has preferred stability, certainty, and safe play in their defenders, and we added a 20 and 19 year old, the odds were always stacked against Bleicher. I wish it had worked out better as I think he brings something that our blueline lacks.

Luckily for him, he's German so he has arguably brighter professional prospects than most kids on the team. If I were him, and his agent couldn't swing another CHL landing spot for him, I'd be looking to catch on as a development player with a DEL club and get loaned out, or even a DEL2 club as there are two within an hour of his hometown. Worse players than him have come over this year from Germany, struggled, and then still signed professionally. He has options.

As for Varosyan, I think the odds they can find a better import in the 2nd round are slim, as you're looking at project players (like Varosyan) who need time to adapt. He's had a year of English, he's flashed some obvious high end skills, and with his late birthday he's going to be hungry to show he can be drafted. I would bring him back in a sink-or-swim season. Integrating two new imports next season seems like a recipe for disaster, especially if we're drafting them from off-the-beaten-path places like we did with these two.

 

[Stellar29]

Sorry didn't mean to imply the rotation was equal - I would be surprised if the team outright scratches Bleicher for the last 8 games but it's beyond obvious he's not in their long term plans. He might get a game or two and played sparingly in them.

There'll definitely be a lot of discussion about the D this off-season and into training camp, because it's both a crowded group and one that hasn't been that strong this season, it's a clear area for improvement. I think we have to be cautious about the impact Kwajah and Roy are going to have, neither of them have lit it up at a level below, and Kwajah if he's more offensively inclined, may require some patience.

With the new NCAA rules plus the number of OHL level bodies we have on the team, it's going to be an offseason and training camp in September for the ages.



Both kids were (and are) really raw. It's extra tough for Bleicher being a small, offensively inclined D coming over to North America at 17. Very few 17 year old D get proper offensive 5 on 5 and PP minutes at this level unless they're strong NHL draft prospects, and even then many don't. Especially as the team has preferred stability, certainty, and safe play in their defenders, and we added a 20 and 19 year old, the odds were always stacked against Bleicher. I wish it had worked out better as I think he brings something that our blueline lacks.

Luckily for him, he's German so he has arguably brighter professional prospects than most kids on the team. If I were him, and his agent couldn't swing another CHL landing spot for him, I'd be looking to catch on as a development player with a DEL club and get loaned out, or even a DEL2 club as there are two within an hour of his hometown. Worse players than him have come over this year from Germany, struggled, and then still signed professionally. He has options.

As for Varosyan, I think the odds they can find a better import in the 2nd round are slim, as you're looking at project players (like Varosyan) who need time to adapt. He's had a year of English, he's flashed some obvious high end skills, and with his late birthday he's going to be hungry to show he can be drafted. I would bring him back in a sink-or-swim season. Integrating two new imports next season seems like a recipe for disaster, especially if we're drafting them from off-the-beaten-path places like we did with these two.

That's a great breakdown on the import situation. The Attack should get a higher pick and should use it to upgrade on Bleicher. I'd be totally fine if Varosyan comes back as I think there's still upside there. To your point, we've seen flashes from him that I think offer some hope that there's more there, especially given his late birthday and even going back to missing the bulk of training camp this year, could be better prepared to hit the ground running next season. I'm not sure where the team management is at on that but I suspect we can count on the team making at least one pick in the coming import draft.